Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Chair, what page are we on? I think I might have got ahead of myself.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a question here and I couldn’t find a reference, but some time ago I wrote myself a note and I put “client service centre versus regional service centre.” The two centres have been referenced, I don’t know if it was in the Minister’s opening remarks or elsewhere, but I’m struggling to understand what the difference is between a client service centre and a regional service centre. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I’ll use an example, which may be a little exaggerated, but if I’m in Colville Lake and there is no regional centre in my community, what do I do then? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just am wondering, on the 2013-2014 numbers, how 18, 18, 18 becomes 19 at the bottom in the left-hand column.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Committee would like to deal with Tabled Document 22-17(5). We’d like to continue with the Department of Human Resources and, time permitting, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations and the NWT Housing Corporation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had the same question as Mr. Bromley and I’m really glad to hear it is clarified. When I heard the Premier make the remarks, it sounded as though we were taking over negotiations with Aboriginal governments for agreements and I’m glad to hear that that is not changed. I think that would be something which would be not very well thought of.

I did want to ask with regards to negotiations. Last year at one point, I think when we discussed the budget, there was concern expressed by both the department and by Members that the federal government’s Fiscal Harmonization...

Thanks to the Minister for that detail. He’s taking me to my next question, which has to do with certification.

The Minister, in his statement, said we’re also putting in place a credentialing system, scholarships and incentives for early childhood development professionals. So I’d like to know from the Minister, I agree completely that we need to have our early childhood professionals certified and they need to be certified to a national standard, but I’d like to know from the Minister if, in 2016, certification is going to increase the wages of our professionals. So I’d like to know, again...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just have a question here with regards to the contributions for the Native Women’s Association and the Status of Women Council. I note that there was a small increase, certainly for the Status of Women Council, a very small increase in ’13-14 from ’12-13, and a bit of an increase in the same year for the Native Women’s Association, but the contributions have remained flat since then.

I’d like to know from the Minister, is there any policy which gives a cost of living increase or some sort of forced growth increase to these organizations year over year? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions today are also addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to follow up on some of the concerns raised in my Member’s statement.

On October 7th the Minister made a statement in this House and in that statement he announced a wage or subsidy program for early childhood practitioners. I recognize that our child care staff tend to be poorly paid. They are certainly on the low end of the wage scale, in my estimation.

I would like to ask the Minister, first of all, how this particular approach, how a wage subsidy approach was...

Thanks to the Minister and I appreciate that the department does everything they can. I think that the department where the employee is returning to work probably also does everything they can, but what I thought I heard the Minister say was, when push comes to shove, if I as an employee can’t be accommodated, then sort of the only thing that’s left is for me to quit my job or to be pushed out of my job. I don’t think that’s the intention of the government, but that’s kind of what I’m hearing.

There must be some avenue, and maybe if it’s even if the Minister says that the person has to go to...